In just a few days, a walkout by thousands of dock workers could bring commerce to a near standstill at every major port from Boston to Houston, potentially delivering a big blow to retailers and manufacturers still struggling to find their footing in a weak economy.

More than 14,000 longshoremen are threatening to go on strike Sunday -a wide-ranging work stoppage that would immediately close cargo ports on the East Coast and the Gulf of Mexico to container ships.

The 15 ports involved in the labor dispute move more than 100 million tons of goods each year, or about 40 percent of the nation's containerized cargo traffic. Losing them to a shutdown, even for a few days, could cost the economy billions of dollars.

"If the port shuts down, nothing moves in or out," said Jonathan Gold, vice president of supply chain and customs policy at the National Retail Federation. And when the workers do return, "it's going to take time to clear out that backlog, and we don't know how long that it's going to take."

The union said its members would agree to an extension only if the Maritime Alliance dropped a proposal to freeze the royalties workers get for every container they unload. The Alliance has argued that the longshoremen, who it said earn an average $124,138 per year in wages and benefits, are compensated well enough already.

...(from an insider)..the bonuses (royalties) range from $20,000 to $40,000.....here's where it gets interesting, each member is allowed to contribute up to $3,000 per year to a political party. Many union members also register their 3 or 4 year old sons and daughters as union members....two kids, another $6,000 goes to a political party. One family donates $9,000, so now it's important for Odungo to settle this....just another rat slush fund....so they take half of your so-called bonus, when you make 120,000 to 200,000 per year who wants to stir the s*** pot?...or go home with broken legs, if you make it that far. DOJ Holder should do something about this scam..???????..*smacking head**....sorry, I was thinking like an American

9
posted on 12/28/2012 6:06:19 AM PST
by Doogle
(USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand..never store a threat you should have eliminated))

Unions: Just another arm of the CPUSA like the MSM, Public Schools, Lawyers (vast majority), ACLU, Hollywood...

We have lost the war to the communists but, thanks to the groups listed above, most are unaware of that fact.

If anyone thinks the GOP will be the savior they are as delusional as anyone in the aforementioned groups.

If we were to look at most government agencies we would find more similarities to the former USSR than to the brilliance of the Founders. As we are about to be pushed over the Obama Gun Cliff, it is highly unlikely we can do anything about it.

....here's where it gets interesting, each member is allowed to contribute up to $3,000 per year to a political party. Many union members also register their 3 or 4 year old sons and daughters as union members....two kids, another $6,000 goes to a political party.

That's a triple dip for the Democrat slush fund. Also, I wonder if the kiddie registration gives them a leg up on future membership, making the union a hereditary political caste.

I don’t think so. Obama owes the unions bigtime.
This is the opening salvo on their full-court press
to organize the entire country. Obama is going to
give them Card Check or something darned close to it.
It’s the price he has to pay for their GOTV army in
November.

of course, with Trumpka running things, this was suppose to be settled in September, but Odungo pushed it back on the next President (after the election)...so now he has to extend the current contract or strike....which ever is worst for the country.

18
posted on 12/28/2012 7:07:35 AM PST
by Doogle
(USAF.68-73..8th TFW Ubon Thailand..never store a threat you should have eliminated))

I think the Maritime Alliance should agree to continue the “royalty for each container unloaded”, if the workers agree for it to be in lieu of an equivalent reduction in their compensation somewhere else.

Usually when incentive-pay, like commissions, is part of workers compensation it is the primary component of that compensation, not a smaller add-on. It is usually done that way so that it actually acts as an incentive for greater productivity - low base pay but good commissions; rewarding performance over merely punching the time clock.

When regular, non-incentive-based, compensation is already substantial - 100Kplus/year, it is doubtful the small royalty compensation for each unloaded container actually acts as an incentive for greater productivity, but it does automatically, even without greater productivity, raise compensation costs.

Whatever the formula, if the workers want to keep the royalty, the cost for it ought to come out of their compensation somewhere else, or it’s likely to not be any incentive for greater productivity - just an added cost for the dock owners/operators.

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